Kids and Parents Invest in Training:
By David Groesbeck, Certified Personal Trainer

Outside, gray paints the sky, and the leaves have turned a rusty brown. Outdoor sports are coming to a close. But inside the Sports Performance Center, it’s always training season.

Today, Tom Wopperer, 17, of Fayetteville-Manlius High School performs a plyometric aquatic routine designed to increase his jumping ability for the upcoming basketball season. “Doing plyometrics in the 93° water has many advantages over dry land plyometrics,” states Dave Groesbeck, who is Tom’s personal trainer as well as the training manager of the Sports Performance Center. “Those advantages include increased circulation, pliant muscles, and decreased weight load due to the buoyancy of the water. This decreases the possibility of injury.”

Matt Wopperer, 14, also of Fayetteville-Manlius High School, is working on lower body strength training to prepare for the upcoming hockey season.

Meanwhile, John Wopperer, Matt and Tom’s father, works on agility and multi-directional speed drills.

“It is interesting to me how some of the parents of the athletes have gravitated toward training on a higher level,” says Dave Groesbeck. John Wopperer agrees: “Let everyone else get old. I’m going to show my sons how it’s done.”

Groesbeck responded, “I love that kind of passion from a parent. It is easier for me to develop the discipline in the student-athlete when the parent is setting the example.”

The wife and mother of the family, Maureen Wopperer, displays equal commitment and determination both for herself and her family. She states emphatically, “You can’t afford not to do it. The stakes are too high, in terms of lifetime achievement, personal development and self-esteem.”

Exceptional athleticism:
Is it good genes or dedication?

Athletic development first and foremost takes a passion and a commitment to the goal the individual is trying to achieve. 15-year-old Michael Riccione trains three days per week at the Sports Performance Center. Michael is currently in a strength and speed development phase of his training. When asked why he pursues extra training, Michael says, “I’m not sure; I guess I just like beating everyone else.” Riccione is a defensive end for the Fayetteville-Manlius High School football team.

Groesbeck says, “I have trained Mike since he was 13 years old. His joint stability, strength, size, speed, and jumping ability have surpassed those in his age group, making him a stand-out athlete. I think Mike just enjoys putting on the show, and the extra work is not a burden to him. Why should it be? His parents train – Mike sees training as a normal part of life for everyone. The Riccione family’s dedication to superior performance has already paid off.”

Examples like these are part of a trend that appears to be driving the athletic performance market and opening the doors at the Sports Performance Center. Just stop in the next time you are shopping at the P&C or Target, and you will be able to meet some of the people who enjoy striving toward athletic/fitness development. The Sports Performance Center is located next to Mary Lou Corcoran Physical & Aquatic Therapy in the Fayetteville Towne Center on Route 5 (E. Genesee Street) and North Burdick Street.